It has been two years since we have heard a complete album “written, produced, and arranged by” “Felicia the Goat” himself, Tyler, The Creator. This year’s album, “Igor” has been long awaited by many of his fans since the end of the “Flower Boy” tour, and it is finally here.
I have been analyzing it since it dropped at 12 a.m. Friday morning on my bedroom floor, trying to dissect it all. It was quite unexpected at first, and I kind of hit a WTF moment. After some listening and thinking, I’ve found many beauties in the album itself.
At first listen, I was instantly surprised by a sound I wasn’t always used to hearing from Tyler. There were new kinds of beats that I hadn’t quite heard before. My friend Jelani even told me the track “I THINK” gave him a Kanye West “808s and Heartbreaks” kind of vibe, which was totally true! I heard many different sounds that I was totally impressed with. I just took the album in for what it was, and with no “distractions” like Tyler took to Instagram to recommend. He also says that this is not any of his other albums, but simply just “Igor.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxjCbG8lKeF/
Throughout the album there is a heavy presence of morbid sounds, beautiful instrumentals, teases of a new love interest, and what some may not have noticed, actual parallels between Tyler and the fictional character Igor.
In Tyler’s previous albums, we rarely saw a raw romantic side like we do in “Igor.” This time around, there is an actual reference to someone (male or female?) and how much Tyler adorns them in “NEW MAGIC WAND.” I was completely grateful for the uncut emotion that Tyler provided, and gave us a greater insight into his personal life. Songs like “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE” make you feel the complete rollercoaster of how you had love for someone, and then come full circle into anger.
In songs like “PUPPET” he really delves into his frustrating love towards a mystery lover. This is where the parallel begins. In the film “Frankenstein” released in 1931, Igor is a character that adorns his master and follows his every command and is somewhat loyal to his detriment. In “Igor” Tyler is experiencing this same emotional rollercoaster. He alludes to how he really wants to be with a special someone, and his loyalty gets in the way sometimes. At the end of the day he really just wants all the love to himself, and he doesn’t want it going to the girl the mystery lover is seeing. But hey, I’m not here to tell you the synopsis of the album. This album is a journey for the listener to take and formulate their own ideas.
The musical composition added onto his morbid sound, takes you to different dimensions at times. “Igor” really encompassed the power of music and how well it can’t paint musical pictures for you. I literally came across moments of my head almost coming off because of how hard I rocked it with the sound on 3,000. Then, of course, the original flowery piano on “BOY IS A GUN” that Tyler never fails to provide brought me back to earth. I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of this album and I’m glad I took it all in.
The features on this album were quite superb as well, with people like Lil Uzi Vert on the “IGOR THEME,” Playboi Carti on “EARFQUAKE,” and reoccurring OG Charlie Wilson singing back-up in a lot of the songs. They each added different layers and sounds that contributed to a very beautifully chaotic sound. There is also unmentioned credit to a lot of the collaborators behind the scenes of the album like Pharrell Williams and Kanye West as well.
Tyler really took his time with “Igor” and gave us a truly versatile album that lays love on the line, and really shows what love can do to you. Tyler was completely unafraid and unapologetic when it came to his sound and his lyrics on love.
I am truly impressed with the outcome of this album and still wonder about a lot of stylistic choices incorporated. A true work of art that is truly something to hear.
